Wedding wear

Wedding attire was a huge deal for me when planning the wedding.  I loved researching the trends, colour pallets and styles.  Once we decided on our New Year's Eve date and confirmed our venue, I knew that a combination of metallic tones and formal holiday style would be perfect.

With 5 bridesmaids, living in cities near and far, I decided that having the girls choose their own dresses would be best.  I gave them creative reign with a few specifics to work with:

• cocktail length
• any metallic tone (gold, silver, bronze...) or a festive holiday colour

I wanted the girls look like they were dressed for a festive, New Year's Eve, cocktail party.  I also wanted a combination of colours, so basically first come, first served with colour/tone selection.  All of my bridesmaids are beautiful women who each have their own unique and personalized style.  They always look gorgeous and I had no doubt they would look their best the day of their wedding.

And what is one of the most important aspects to looking good?  Feeling comfortable in what you are wearing, I say.  It made me happy that everyone wore a dress she loved and felt amazing in.

The end result, and the process of dress buying, went very smoothly.  Lisa decided to wear black dress she already owned and splurge on shoes instead.  Ashley and Jenny scored amazing consignment store deals, and Danielle and Sacha went the classic department store route, finding their dresses at The Bay and Nordstrom.

Check them out in order from left to right: Sacha, Jenny, Lisa, Danielle and Ashley.

It was a perfect combination.  And I love that Ashley's stood out with the brightest colour as Maid of Honour.

Aren't they amazing!?  Eeeek!  It makes me excited just looking at these pictures!  

And here are the girls....such beauties.

A little shoe shot.

All the dresses complimented each other and matched with mine perfectly.

I love how our matching red lips and classic hairstyles pulled all of our looks together.

The boys and Derek looked smashing.  We decided to go with black suits (everyone just wore their own) and as a gift we purchased a tie for each groomsmen to wear at the wedding.  We provided their last names to my dad's kilt maker, and she got back to us with all their family tartans, so they each wore a unique tie which added to to Scottish theme.  I also think combining tartans is so Christmas-y!

We also included a little bit of Derek's personality and his obsession with socks...or maybe it's my obsession since I'm the one buying them....  Each of the groomsmen wore some funky Moxy Maus socks that we purchased from Stroked Ego, a favourite men's store of mine. 

Derek looked great in his three-piece suit from Indochino which we ordered online for a great price.  

And here's everyone together now!

Our families fit right in with their sparkle and tartan.  They all looked fabulous!

Derek and I spent some time downtown and on Parliament Hill for about an hour before the wedding.  It was one of my favourite times of the whole day.  We were giddy with excitement, and I definitely had butterflies knowing that we would be officially married in a couple hours.  

It was busy downtown - a Monday during rush hour - everyone leaving work and the tourists visiting the Parliament Buildings were congratulating us and wishing us well.  It was a really surreal experience and just such a happy moment.  I loved that Derek and I were able to share this time together, just the two of us, during our busy day. This is one of the main reasons I am fully on board with the First Look. 

As for our outdoor outfits, I switched from my Kate Spades into my Sorrels and added a faux-fur stole (rented for $40 from Rag Time, a vintage clothing store in Ottawa) with long leather gloves.  So fun!

I am very happy with how all of the wedding ensembles turned out.  Everyone looked great, and the clothing really fit the party.  I may be biased and still have honeymoon coloured glasses, but I think we all look very classic and timeless.  

Here's hoping I don't cringe in 20 years when showing our children our wedding photos!

*all photos are courtesy of amazing photographers, Steph and Neil from Stem Photography.

Some wedding dish: the dress!

I'm back from my hiatus!  It has literally been 2 months since I've visited my blog myself.  In some ways time has flow by, and in other ways 2 months seems like forever ago.

So much has happened!  Most importantly you can now officially call me Mrs. Wright!

It was so difficult to hold back sharing details during our wedding planning.  Of course I wanted to keep some of the mystery alive for Derek and our wedding guests.  But now that all is said and done I can tell you all about it!  So exciting.

Let's begin with the most important (and maybe the most secret) detail.  The dress!

I feel as though I was lucky when it came to dress shopping.  Since I knew I wanted a short dress, and Ottawa has limited stores that carry the style, I didn't have many options.  I know that I would have had a more difficult time choosing a dress if I had a larger selection, so the fact that things were automatically kept simple was good for me.

We threw around the idea of travelling to Montreal for a day trip, but again, I lucked out and found exactly what I wanted in Ottawa.

I am so happy to say that I purchased my dress from Luxe Bridal Boutique on Dalhousie Street in Ottawa.  It was such a pleasure working with the owners Madeleine and Lisa.

Here's a pic of them from their website where you can read all about them.

They made my dress shopping experience so enjoyable.  First of all they have impeccable taste and have stocked their boutique with amazing designer dresses; always keeping a variety of styles on hand.  Their store is stylish and pretty without being prissy or making you feel like you can't touch anything.  Lisa and Maddy are down to earth and even have a dessert table with homemade cupcakes for clients to enjoy.

Luxe was really the only store I shopped at, since they offered the largest selection of short wedding dresses.  When calling around other boutiques to inquire whether or not they carried the style I was looking for, most people I spoke to assumed that because I was looking for a short dress, I wanted something casual and suggested going with a bridesmaid dress in white.

Not the case.  And Maddy and Lisa understood that.

So without further ado, let's take a look at the dresses.  Photos are compliments of my lovely Maid of Honour, Ashley.

First off we have 3 dresses by Dolly Couture.  Dolly Couture specializesg in short, vintage inspired dresses and the great thing about her designs is that you can customize them any way you like.

Dress #1

Quite a lovely dress, in my opinion.  I loved the lace detail at the bottom and I think the sleeves are great for a winter wedding.  It just wasn't glitzy enough for New Year's Eve and it sort of made me feel frumpy.  

Dress #2

Cute, right?!  We liked it so much we added the belt and bird cage.  Let me just tell you - once I saw the belts and tried on the bird cage I had to have one!  This one was a top contender.

Dress #3

Doesn't the belt add so much?

Dresses #2 and #3 are the same style but with different finishes and details.  We all agreed that we liked dress #2 better.

Dress #4

When I started my fitting I told Maddy that I would try on every short dress she had.  Even if it looked like lingerie!  Doesn't this look hilarious on me?!  You can even see Maddy in the mirror of the first photo having a little chuckle.

Sorry, I don't remember the designer.

Dress #5

I actually can't believe I'm sharing this picture.  Isn't that the most unflattering dress you've ever seen?  I look like a sad kid on Halloween, wearing a costume 5 times too small.  So bad.  But I had to try on at least one longer style and this is the one my mom chose.

Again, I'm not sure of the designer.  I undressed and threw it out of the fitting room too fast to see the label.

Oh, and maybe I should confirm: no, I was not pregnant.  

Dress #6

I had looked at this dress by Amy Kuschel before and had really fallen in love.  I loved how soft it was, and in all the photos I saw the tea-length hem looked just beautiful.  But the style just wasn't for me.  Maybe the fit had something to do with it, but we just couldn't envision it, even with the tailoring.

On the other hand, I actually know a girl (another Meaghan) who wore this on her wedding day and it suited her to a tea!

Dress #7 (the one!)

This is my very excited face!

I was so excited when I found this dress, you can't even imagine.  It was the most perfect New Year's Eve wedding cocktail dress.  I fell in love immediately.  The fact that it had straps was a huge bonus.  The fact that they were beaded was a dream come true.

Here are a few photos from our wedding.  We had some alterations done like lengthening the hem line and adding crinoline to the skirt to keep the bubble hem's shape.

I'm only slightly less excited about my dress than I am about marrying Derek.

As for the specs on my dress.  It is by Eden Bridal, style number 1405.  The total cost was $400, my belt, by Kitty Chen, cost $250 and alterations were just under $180, bringing my total dress costs to around $1000 including the taxes.  

Now this doesn't include my accessories, however I feel that they need a post all to themselves.  I will do a budget breakdown then.

Now a question for you: should I dye my dress?  I would love to wear it again, but don't think there are any occasions in my future for a wedding dress (even though it isn't traditional).  I think it would look beautiful in midnight blue or a silvery gray.  I'm going to do some research on the subject.  It is satin, which I know can be dyed.  I think I'll probably sleep on it for a year or so first.

I am looking forward to finding a dress to go with my belt though!  Something black and sexy perhaps?  I'll keep you posted!

I'm looking forward to sharing more wedding details with you and I hope you are excited too! 

Introducing the fraser café's Table 40! (and our NYE wedding décor)

Since we've booked our venue at the fraser café's Table 40, we have been lucky enough to visit the space a couple times to show our friends and family.  I get more and more excited each time I visit and can't stop thinking about décor, our wedding party's attire, photo opportunities, what the weather is going to be like, and of course my dress (AND SHOES!!!)

I have found that using the Olioboard website to create vision boards has helped me put my ideas together and see how things will look side-by-side.  I have basically been collecting all of my ideas on Pinterest and have now transferred some of my favourites over to inspiration boards.

For the basic décor - we won't need to do too much.  The space is already styled and decorated quite nicely.  

Think:

• Concrete floors, dark charcoal walls, exposed ventilation and industrial type lighting. 
• Some of the ventilation and pipes are painted an orange-y/red which I'm warming up to as an accent colour.  
• All of the doors (bathrooms and coat room) are old and rustic and there are even some antique shutters hanging on the wall which I love.  
• The tables, along with the bar, are made of solid maple.  The edges are irregular shapes, there are holes in some places on the top and you can see the knots of the wood.  With the amazing glaze over top of the wood, it looks absolutely beautiful.  If my description is off, you can check out the pictures below.

Some pictures were taken on the evening we first met with Steve Capyk, Event Coordinator at Table 40, some after a Sunday brunch with our family, along with a few I stole from their facebook page.

View of the bar from the entrance.  It is an open kitchen style, so it's neat to see the food being prepared behind the bar.

View of the entrance from the bar.  I'm imagining that Derek and I will be married in front of the orange-y/red screen.  I would like to flank it with some tall branches strung with white lights in vases.

The wing back chairs and love seat which are currently in the front entrance.  I'm thinking about bringing them into the space to create a lounge area and adorning them with some sparkly pillows.

I love the bar, stools and all the exposed piping.

One of the two tvs which are in each corner of the room.  We are thinking of playing some of our favourite romance movies on silent throughout the evening.  You've Got Mail anyone???

One of the rustic doors which leads to the coat room.

Table 40 set up and ready for an event.  Some tables will be moved to the side to accommodate hor d'oeuvres/dessert stations as well as a place to sit and eat for those who wish to rest their legs.  The others will be moved out. 

My goal is to incorporate some New Year's Eve sparkle, vintage flair and a hint of tartan while still keeping with the industrial/rustic vibe of the space.  Here is my vision board for the décor.

• Ever green wreaths on the front door of the restaurant, along with 2 small Christmas tree/shrubs strung with white lights flanking the door way.  I would also love a red carpet leading from the side walk up the steps to the front doors and some type of welcome sign.
• Candle holders made of mason jars, covered with vintage doilies, with some tartan or sparkle accents tied around the top.
• A cluster of clocks on one of the tables (guest book or favour table maybe) - to represent the NYE count down.
• There are a couple wing back chairs and a love seat at Table 40 which I plan on dressing up with some fun and sparkly accent pillows in gold, silver and black.  Maybe even toss in a faux-fur throw to keep things cozy?
• Tall branches, strung with mini white lights in vases placed in a few corners of the room as well a smaller version on a table.  I love the picture of the branch in the vase of pine cones.
• For the dessert and appetizer table - the use of old wooden crates to add varied heights along with some burlap accents to keep with the rustic feel.
• I also plan on including photos of Derek and I in the space.  I'm thinking just a few nicely framed photos on some of the tables and bar area.

Another way I would like include the NYE sparkle is through my bridesmaids!  I am not sure if I have mentioned it before, but they will not be wearing matching bridesmaids dresses.  In order to keep things unified, the girls will all be wearing knee length dresses, but in various colours/metallics including: black, gray, silver, gold, and champagne.  This is what I'm envisioning.  

I am planning for my attire to have a vintage feel so to pull us all together I'm thinking some chunky vintage jewellery for the bridesmaids.  And I don't mind if there are duplicate dress colours (I have a feeling black may be popular), just as long as there is some variety.  I love mixing metallics, so I can't wait to see who ends up in fabulous gold and silver dresses.  All of my girls are stunningly beautiful and I imagine them looking smashing, in sexy and fun cocktail dresses ready to attend a formal New Year's Eve wedding party.    

I'm in the process of creating some inspiration boards for my own attire - one being solely assigned to my footwear!  I can't wait to go dress shopping and I think I may be even more exciting for the shoe shopping that will follow!  Derek and I just booked a trip to New York City in June, so I may save the shoe shopping for then.

I believe Carrie Bradshaw may have actually started the whole non-matching bridesmaid trend in the first Sex and the City movie.  Too bad that wedding was a bust - they all looked so amazing!

Picture from Storkie.com.  There is a whole article about the non-matching bridesmaid dress trend.

What are your thoughts on non-matching bridesmaid dresses?  I think they have definitely grown in popularity.  Each of my bridesmaids has such a unique personality and style, so I think it will be fun to see that shine through in the dress they choose which will be sure to compliment their body type and make them feel their best.  And do you like mixing metallics like gold and silver?  I just can't wait to see everything come together.